


Imposters

by Catzgirl



Category: Tales of the Abyss
Genre: F/M, IDK OKAY?, Rated For Violence, accompanying the party, and some language maybe?, haven't decided if there will be smut yet, i just really like guy, i love it, idk you guys, play through, this is by far the tamest thing i've written, with an ofc
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-17
Updated: 2017-01-18
Packaged: 2018-09-18 02:15:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,998
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9361088
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Catzgirl/pseuds/Catzgirl
Summary: Chesedonia. A desert port, an independent state, a home for one orphan of Hod. Fire has lived in Chesedonia for almost fifteen years, trying to let go of the anger and vengefulness she feels about her family and her island's destruction. When the Tales gang waltzes right in and her father assigns her to their group, the very last thing she expects is to help save the world. Probably the next to last is to fall in love. But Guy isn't the man everyone thinks he is, and Fire has some secrets of her own. How can they navigate their romance when they can barely navigate the Qliphoth?





	1. Playing With Fire

**Author's Note:**

> please feel free to leave comments with encouragement or criticism. I'm trying to playthrough as I write to make things accurate because the wiki??? for this game??? is super barren. There's no info on Chesedonia or on Astor at all outside of the game itself so bare with me I guess if you catch anything weird.

**Guy**

It was good to have his feet back on solid ground.  
Being on the open sea always troubled him; it reminded him of the voyage from Hod to Daath and then to Baticul. A shame, for sure, but one that couldn't be helped. And anyway, there was something special about Chesedonia. Maybe it was just the allure of being in a new place, but maybe it was the open market place and its sounds and smells, or the humid and oppressive heat that made the city feel like its own world, or maybe it was the people and the way that they bustled and shouted and always seemed closer to each other than the people of Baticul could ever stand to be. He was fascinated with the always shifting sand, even if it got caught in his boots and made walking difficult. It helped that he'd gotten a good laugh at Luke's expense when a Dark Wing thug stole his wallet- if he was going to let strange women fawn all over him, he'd have to learn to keep his valuables better protected.

Yeah, there'd been the usual flash of envy watching another man be touched by a member of the opposite gender and not hyperventilate from it. He'd discretely asked the group, before docking, to not tell people about his gynophobia without asking him first. There was no reason to go around advertising his biggest weakness, after all. They'd seemed to take it more seriously since he'd literally thrown Anise off of him back at Choral Castle, but sometimes he felt like they plain forgot about it. He wasn't sure yet if he was insulted by that or not, but he was positive that he was ready to be back in the Manor where, although he had to continue playing the role of a simple servant, the women of the house gave him a wide berth.

"So where do we get this fon disc thing read at it? Do we have to wait until we get back home?" Luke asked as they wandered the market idly. 

Although Van had ordered them to report to the Kimlascan consultant immediately, they'd agreed as a group to explore a bit of the city first. It was his, Luke's, and Tear's first time in the desert and Anise had been particularly loud about wanting to show them all around. Guy had agreed eagerly; it was as foreign a place he'd ever been.

"Oh definitely not," Ion offered, "I'm sure that Astor has an analyzer in his home. If he doesn't, he'll know where to find one at least."

Guy gave Jade a sideways glance as the man hummed. "I'm not sure that letting people know that you're here would be wise, considering the lengths that our enemies have gone through to track you."

Ion looked as unconcerned as ever, though, and actually took the lead of the group towards what signs noted to be "Astor's Mansion."

"It'll be okay," he assured, "Astor would never betray my confidence. He feels that he owes the citadel of Daath a great deal; I'm sure he'd be glad to help."

"Well, I hope he can help us. I'm interested in knowing what the God-Generals wanted with Luke," Guy quipped.

And then they rounded the bend and he found himself facing not only the longest flight of stairs he'd ever seen, but the largest mansion he'd ever encountered outside of either capital. Astor's mansion was built onto a cliff, the backside sprawling down it, but the front was a very long walk up to the main floor. Palm trees and giant, tropical plants grew on either side of the walkway, and added to the luxurious jungle affect of the brightly colored towers and parapets . Guy could hardly believe that all of it was just for one man and his servants. He wasn't so sure that he wanted to meet a man that valued himself highly enough to live in such a palace.

"Damnit! He could have at least put in an elevator or something!" Luke scoffed. 

"Well that wouldn't do much to deter visitors, now would it?"

He'd not even heard her approach, and neither, if her vaguely surprised "ah!" were any clue, had Tear. At the voice, Jade merely turned and bowed deeply to a woman, maybe early 20's, who had long red hair, blue eyes, and a smile with undertones that changed from irritation to mischief as Jade faced her.

"Ah, Saphira," he said in what Guy recognized to be his best diplomatic tone, "The Jewel of the Desert. We seek an audience with your father."

She wore what seemed to be typical Chesedonian attire; a sea-blue silk cape that draped her shoulders and her upper arms before tumbling down her back, an intricate white blouse that was sleeveless and adorned with large silver buttons down the front, and a loose asymmetrical skirt that matched the color of the desert sand. It flowed down to her ankle on her left side but was cut on the diagonal so that it revealed her right leg up to her mid thigh. An orange sash at her waist secured a sword on her left side and a dagger at her right. Her brown leather thongs were silent as she walked and their straps made a crisscross design up her legs, tying off at the back of her knees. When she spoke, her voice was soft but firm.

_Damnit_. Why were they continuously meeting beautiful women?

"Colonel Jade," she acknowledged and returned his bow, even as two guardsmen appeared behind her to flank either side with their weapons drawn, "You of all people should know better than to go traipsing about with the Fon Master while the entire continent waits for war to break out at any minute. But I'm sure you have an explanation?"

"Of course. We're on our way to Baticul with the Fon Master and a letter on behalf of Emperor Peony to petition the King for peace. In the meantime, we've come across a fon disc that I wanted to have analyzed as soon as possible, and Fon Master Ion knows your father's penchant for luxury items. We thought we'd call on his hospitality before leaving port for the capital." Jade's reply was more familiar in tone. Guy tried not to let his confusion show, still uneasy about the guards, but wondered how some Chesedonian and the Necromancer could be friends.

"Wait," Tear interrupted, "Her father? I didn't realize Governor Astor was married." 

Saphira threw her head back and laughed, and even the guards snickered through their serious expressions. She waved a hand at them and they obediently sheathed their weapons, "Come, I'll escort you to the parlor and fetch Father for you," she said with an easy smile and those twinkling eyes.

So began the ascent, with Saphira, Ion, and Anise at their head, apparently being well-acquainted, and the two guards at their backs. It made Guy distinctly uncomfortable to have armed men behind him as he struggled up the never-ending stairs, but a casual look from Jade calmed him quickly. Whatever the Colonel was, he could not be said to be unwary.

"Saphira, would you like to explain to the others your familial circumstances?" Ion asked politely as they climbed.

"Fon Master, I've asked you to call me Fire," she admonished.

"If that's the case, surely you can call me Ion," he replied.

She smirked over her shoulder at the rest of the, shrugged, and said, "Very well. Ion it is! And of course I can explain. It's a bit of a long story, but I'll try to keep it brief: Astor is my adopted father, he took me in after the destruction of Hod."

"Hod? But I didn't think there were any survivors," Luke blurted out.

"Luke!" said an exasperated Tear, and even Guy couldn't manage a chuckle, "Don't be rude. This woman is our host."

But if Fire was bothered by the comment, she hid it well: "Oh, don't fuss him," she said with a careless wave, "It's not widely known."

Ion further explained, "When the Kimlascan forces invaded, soldiers with the Order of Lorelei sent evacuation ships to the island and saved as many as they could. Of course, Kimlasca did not announce their intentions publically, so the fighting had already begun by the time the Order arrived, and they were too late for much of the population. When the island began to crumble and sink into the ocean, evacuation attempts ended and the ships fled. Only a few dozen evacuees made it back to Daath, and they were unofficially ordered to remain there for their own protection. Most of them became disciples of the Order, but some joined the Oracle's military forces. Fire, I'm not sure you've ever told me how you came to leave the citadel."

She shrugged one soldier, "My birth-father was killed in the fighting. Before he died, he told me to run for the ships, and I ended up on the very last one. We were diverted to Chesedonia because of a Kimlascan blockade, and I snuck off the ship in the night and was stranded here. The locals took me to Astor to figure out what to do with me. He disagreed, I think, with the destruction of the island and he asked me what I wanted, what I had planned for my life. I told him revenge for my family and he adopted me on the spot. At the time I thought it was so he could help me, but the passage of years has revealed that he really just found it amusing: this little slip of a girl talking about revenge and murder."

"It's strange that you know Ion and the Colonel, but I've never heard of you," Tear said with a voice more question than statement, "Are you known by the other rulers? Didn't Kimlasca have any objections about the Governor adopting a refugee from an island they'd meant to destroy?"

"Yeah, I didn't think the King would take a matter like that very lightly," Guy added, "Or the Duke for that matter."

They were at the top of the steps finally, and two servants opened the front doors wide for their entrance as Fire continued walking without skipping a beat. The inside of the mansion was just as luxurious as the outside. Huge paintings depicting tropical scenery adorned every wall, and plants filled pots in corners and hanging from the ceilings. No expense had been spared on the furniture, either, with lounge chairs and pool tables and arm chairs cluttering the floor. Compared to the open spaces of the Fabre Manor, Guy felt practically claustrophobic.

"Oh, thank you gentlemen," Fire smiled to the doormen, then led them on a straight path through the house, "At first, Father passed me off as just some poor orphan girl, and even then he kept it pretty quiet. He didn't tell anyone of my heritage until years later and the people he told were all sworn to secrecy. But," she shrugged, opening the door to yet another room of couches and armchairs, "Word gets around. It's not such a large city, after all. I met the Colonel on a diplomatic trip to the capital, and see Ion and Anise regularly on their visits to the city. Chesedonia is well-off enough now that I don't fear reparations, but to publically announce myself as Astor's heir seems silly so many years later. And the people of the city care for me as much as I for them, and that's really the only thing that matters. Now, please, be seated and I'll go see where Father is. The servants will fetch you water and don't hesitate to ask for anything else you may need."

After being sure they were seated and comfortable, and summoning a man-servant with glasses and a pitcher of water, she swept out of the room. Guy had the distinct feeling that she was constantly in motion, a hurricane trapped in a body. Her guards remained with them and stood on either side of the door. Keeping intruders out or them in was anyone's guess.

"Saphira is sooooo lucky!" Anise crooned, bouncing lightly on her couch cushion, "I'd give anything to live in a house like this!"

"Mieu!" Squeaked the little blue creature hiding in the pack on Tear's back, "It's so beautiful here!"

"Ahh, shut up, Thing!" Luke fussed, "And anyways, what was up with that 'Jewel of the Desert' crap, Jade?"

The Colonel gave one of his light hearted shrugs, "It's a title given to her by Emperor Peony. As she just stated, she traveled to the capital on business from her father, and upon meeting the Emperor she introduced herself as 'Fire.' His majesty henceforth called her 'Saphira, the Jewel of the Desert.' I don't expect you to know this, Luke, but when one of your superiors gifts someone with an honorific title, it’s the job of their subordinates to use it."

"I'm not totally ignorant, you know!" Luke yelled, crossing his arms with a reddening face.

Jade just shrugged again. "I apologize if you think I've called you ignorant. I was just answering your question."

Before things could escalate any further, the doors were thrown open and Astor walked in with the woman in discussion. He was short of stature, and looked even shorter beside his lithe daughter, and wore a nice pair of pants, a vest over his bare chest, and a white turban. Although the materials of his clothes were of wonderful quality, Guy had expected the owner of this mansion to look as extravagant as it did. The truth of Astor was that he was as puzzling as Fire.

"My friends!" He welcomed, spreading both arms wide open as if to encompass them all, then waving the guards from the room as he continued, "Fon Master Ion, my daughter tells me that you have need of my fon disc analyzer? Huehuehuehue, but you have come to the right place! You have but to produce the disc and I'll have it done," he said, bowing before Ion and shaking his hand.

Guy stood and rustled in his bag, "Ah, actually, I'm the one that has it. Here," and he held it out for the servant that approached from the door. The man took it and exited quickly, leaving them  alone.

"Wonderful, wonderful, it should be done in moments," Astor smiled and took a seat in an armchair at the head of the room. Fire stood next to his chair, one arm casually draped around the back of it, her eyes slowly sweeping from one of them to the next, ending on Guy who had been watching her watching them. She gave him a wink and a smile and turned her attention to Astor.

"Fire have you provided these people with food and drink? We may live in a desert but mine is a house of plenty!" he claimed, twirling his mustache and grining.

"Oh we couldn't eat just yet," Ion politely refused- Tear immediately turned to Luke and muted any protest he could have issued, "And Fire made sure we were given plenty of water."

Fire smiled and shrugged, an easy motion, then patted Astor on the shoulder for his attention, "Father, the guards tell me these are the people that had an altercation with the Dark Wings in the marketplace," she said casually, "They tried to steal a wallet from one of them."

Astor pounded the arms of his chair with his fists, his anger in stark contrast with Fire's calm, sudden and dramatic as it was. "What?! The Dark Wings in MY city? I apologize my friends, and I hope you were not inconvenienced by them!"

Ion held his smile and shook his head, "It turned out fine," he said, gesturing to Tear, "Tear caught the thief in the act. Luke's wallet was returned without much incident."

Astor still didn't seem appeased and turned to Luke, "I apologize to you: I can assure you that thieves and crooks do not normally roam my streets with such abandon. I will see to their capture if they remain within my walls."

Fire shook her head and patted her father's shoulder again, "I've already chased them into the desert," she said, "As soon as the guards alerted me to the disturbance I started my pursuit. They're actually why I met you at the Great Stairs," she continued, turning to Jade, "I was returning to make a report to Father when I saw you. At first my guards were worried that you were with the Dark Wings. It's not often that we get such a large group of travelers all carrying weapons. To see you, Jade, was a disappointment: I've been itching for a good fight."

Jade smiled, "I'm glad I could dissuade you. I would not have enjoyed such a challenge with my fon slots sealed."

At that, Astor and Fire both gave gasps of surprise, "Sealed?!" Astor cried, "Oh but my friend, there is a story here! You must tell me what is going on in the world, that someone would be able to get a fon slot seal on you. Speak plainly, there are no ears in the walls of my manse."

"Except for mine," Fire added, and Astor elbowed her ribs with a "shush!"

Jade obliged, surprising everyone but Ion and Anise. Guy noticed that Tear especially seemed apprehensive at telling two people she'd known only briefly about the difficulties of their travel, even with Astor's promise of confidence, and it seemed that Jade told them just about everything: how Tear and Luke ended up in Malkuth, meeting them in Engeve and killing the liger queen, their pursuit by the various God Generals and Arietta's personal vendetta, and Luke's capture during their foray at Choral Castle. Guy hadn't expected him to share such detail and he wasn't sure if it was a mark against the Colonel's judgment or a sign of how much he trusted this Chesedonian family. Jade hadn't steered them wrong yet, but Guy was used to keeping his secrets. He didn't fail to notice Fire's eyes on him for much of Jade's story, as if she sensed his unease. When he chanced a glance at her, though, her eyes were still bright and friendly, if not curious.

"And that's why we needed that disc analyzed, "Jade concluded, "We're all very interested in finding out what they wanted with Luke. He was kidnapped seven years ago and was kept at Choral Castle. It was assumed Malkuth had taken him, as the son of the Duke and nephew to the King, but the Emperor has always denied those allegations. I now suspect it had more to do with the God Generals as they were already familiar with the machinery there."

"I cannot imagine how your family felt during your kidnapping," Astor said sympathetically, "Although you seem to have grown into a very capable young man. I'm sure they are proud of you," and he reached up to squeeze Fire's hand. The affection in her smile was startling; for a girl that had come to him for revenge for her family's death, they seemed for all the world like blood-relatives. Guy wondered if she ever felt as guilty as he sometimes did, being happy while her family was dead. He wished he could ask her without revealing his own identity.

Luke just looked mildly embarrassed and said nothing.

The servant returned, as if he'd been waiting for a moment of silence, and had to open the large door with one hand while the other clutched a few notebooks to his chest. He made a beeline to Guy, stopping only to bow his head in deference to Astor. "Your analysis is complete, here are the results and the disc back," he said and handed it all to him.

"Whoa!" Luke said, "That's a lot of information!"

It was definitely more than Guy had been expecting, and he spoke with a touch of irritability making it through to his voice, "I guess we'll just have to read it on the ship." 

"Speaking of the ship!" Astor said and stood, twirling his mustache, "Hmmmmm, I've come to a decision as you've told me your tale, Jade. I'd like for my daughter to accompany you to Baticul. My people and my city are tense in the face of imminent war and I'd like a representative of my own to be present. With you representing the Emperor, Luke here representing the von Fabre name, and even the Fon Master in attendance, Chesedonia is the only independent state without a voice in the matter. This will not do."

He'd apparently not broached the subject to Fire, as she whirled and said, "Father, if I'm gone, who will guard the mansion? Who will defend you?"

Astor waved her concerns aside, "Huehuehue, my daughter. It isn't as though you haven't traveled before! I've a city guard at my disposal, and posted soldiers from each kingdom. Go and pack for your adventure!" 

"Yes," she countered, "But of the tensions between Malkuth and Kimlasca? Everyone is restless, the Dark Wings were in the market only today! I can't leave you while there's such danger."

"You protect the interests of the city before all else," was Astor's simple reply. Fire hesitated as if she had more to say, then straightened, fists clenched by her sides, and left the room.

Astor turned to them, with renewed cheerfulness, "She is willful, my daughter. As bad or worse than I ever was in my youth."

Anise, excited, followed Fire from the room, chattering about helping her pack.

Jade looked less certain, "Governor, we've been attacked by the God Generals more than once," he said, "I can't guarantee her safety."

Astor's laughed boomed through the room, and it was several moments before he reply, "OHHHHHHHH! I may have only a city guard, not a standing army," he said as his mirth died down into chuckles, "But my daughter has been trained as well as any soldier. She excels in single combat, but is experienced enough in groups. If she is harmed it will be a fine story indeed. I will not hold it against the Emperor, the King, or the citadel. You have my word."

And that peaked Guy's interest. Warrior girls like Tear and Anise were few. Most women he'd met had at least rudimentary experience with self-defense, and there were girls like Princess Natalia that had weapons-knowledge as a hobby or to impress their courts, but a woman that was unaffiliated with any rogue group or army that was capable of defending herself, that reduced the leader of a city to guffaws, that was a fighter he wanted to see in action.

Ion seemed in agreement with him, "Astor is right. It isn't fair for Chesedonia to not take part in the peace negotiations. As the center of so much trade, it may be valuable for the King to hear that the governor is against war as well," and now he turned to Astor, questioning, "In the past, you've gone to Baticul yourself, Astor. Are there problems in Chesedonia that prevent you this time?"

Astor shook his head again, "In the past I was worried that Fire's family lineage would get her killed! No offense to your family, Luke. But it has been long enough since the Hod War and I have officially documented Fire to be my heir only this past year. Although I am only a Governor and not a King, the people of Chesedonia fiercely love her, and I have no doubt that she will govern them in my stead. She has met the Emperor of Malkuth, it is time she met the King of Kimlasca.  I trust that she will not face imprisonment or persecution in the capital, hmm?" he added, turning to Luke.

Luke seemed annoyed by the question. "My uncle would never throw a woman in jail just because of where she's from," he said heatedly.

Astor gave a deep belly laugh again, "Well, your confidence is reassuring. I'm content with your word, young sir."

When Fire and Anise returned only a moment later, the former with the tell-tale bulge of a pack under her cape, Ion stood and prompted everyone else to do the same. Astor escorted them to the door himself, "If there is anything else that you need, please feel free to return to my city," he said as they started out the door and down the steps. "Fire, take good care of them!" was his last call as the door shut.

It looked like Anise's company had managed to cheer her while they'd pack, and she led them down the stairs, asking, "Do you need to visit the market before we go? The vendors will discount you if I ask."

Anise squealed and sprinted towards the nearest stall, Tear and Fire at a quick pace just behind her. Guy hung back with a bemused Jade and Luke, who was grumbling about being left behind.

He hung back and wondered how he would make it through this journey, surrounded by women.


	2. Arrival In Baticul

They were nice enough, once she got the hang of their dynamic. She'd said something about Luke and Tear's relationship before they even made it out of the mansion courtyard, and it had turned both of them red and provoked a snippy comment from Luke, which she let fly over her head. She knew Anise and Ion well enough, and the three of them spoke casually of Chesedonia and Daath and of their travels. The Colonel was as mysterious as always and she was not entirely sure that he approved of her joining their travels. At least that made two of them. Guy was nice enough, although she'd felt his eyes on her more than once since revealing her heritage, though he mostly declined to meet her gaze and stayed embroiled in conversation with Luke. Tear she tried to watch most closely, as a soldier in the Order's intelligence division and as the member of the group that seemed to be hiding the most. She didn't appear particularly sinister, though, and Fire's efforts to be friendly towards her were well-received. Fire suspected Tear was tired of traveling with men and a much younger girl, and was glad of the companionship of a woman her own age. In any case, they made as good a traveling group as any. As they walked the streets, wandering from stall to stall, people called out to her in greetings and guards saluted her as they passed, even the ones stationed from Malkuth and Kimlasca.

"Wow, it seems like EVERY one knows you!" Anise gushed as they left an accessories vendor, Anise having needed a new hair band.

She laughed and shook her head and said, "Yeah, it happens when you're the governors daughter. The people accepted me pretty much without question after my adoption, even as the truth of my heritage started to come out. Astor was concerned that some might balk and call for my death in compliance with the Score, but it's never come up or been an issue. It helps that I've taken my duties as Astor's daughter seriously: I care about these people, and they care about me in return." She tried to say it without feeling too full of herself, but she couldn't help her pride shining through.

Tear blanched at the mention of the Score and said, "The destruction of Hod was very painful. I don't think the Score called for the death of everyone on the island, though. Just the war and destruction of it."

It was a sore subject, but Fire could see how being in the Order prompted Tear to try to defend it. She pushed down the familiar flash of defensive anger and grinned instead, "Yeah, well, some people believe that the destruction of Hod included the destruction of everyone on it, too, and not just the island itself. Luckily, none of those people seem to live in Chesedonia, or at least have been good about keeping their opinions to themselves."

"I don't know a lot about the war or about Hod. Why did the score call for it's destruction?" Luke asked.

That's right, he'd explained that he'd lost his memories after his childhood. It was hard not to react to such a question with sarcasm, but she decided to go the educational route instead. Might as well get used to it, she thought, there's bound to be a ton of obvious things he can't remember and that no one bothered to re-teach him, "It's not like the Score ordered for there to be war," she explained as patiently as she could without being condescending, "It predicted a war and the total destruction of the island itself. So Kimlasca-Lanvaldear upheld the Score and enacted it," and maybe she hadn't pushed her anger as deeply as she should have, because without thinking she added, "Duke Von Fabre personally took part in the killing of the populace. I guess he thought he was upholding the Score through murder."

Luke looked shocked for a moment, and his face turned red, "Hmph. Must have been a reason for it, maybe those people deserved what they got."

Her blood ran cold, and she snapped around to face him fully even as Tear and Guy shoved him back and reached for their weapons. Jade stepped to the side with a sighed, "Oh, dear," and Anise positioned herself in front of Ion as he shouted for everyone to calm down. They all stood, very uncomfortably silent, and some townspeople stopped what they were doing to stare at her too. What was she doing, in the middle of the market place? She didn't even know she'd drawn her dagger until she looked down and found it in her hand, as though she was going to slay the boy for a comment he already looked embarrassed about, that had been made defensively after her own rude snippet. For Yulia's sake. Deep breath. Let it out. Grin. Sheathe the dagger.  
"Hey, I don't blame you for your father's actions. It's not like you personally killed anyone. I shouldn't have brought up your family so personally. It's a hard subject for me to talk about," she said in as calm a tone as she could manage.

Luke at least had the good graces to apologize, face still burning, but not from anger anymore, "I'm really sorry. I shouldn't have tried to defend my father. I don't really think that your family or the people of Hod deserved to die, I wasn't thinking when I said it."

She noticed that Tear was staring at Luke as if he'd grown a second and third head and tried to ignore it, "It's okay. I shouldn't be so easy to bait," and she gave him a rueful grin, "I'll give you the benefit of the doubt if you promise to get your father to apologize to me."

Luke looked genuinely troubled as he shouldered his way between Guy and Tear, "I will. You have my word." And they shook on it.

Jade cleared his throat. "Ahem. Well, that was interesting. But we really should be on our way now," he said pointedly. He took the lead, with Anise and Ion right behind him, and Fire just behind them. She heard Tear say, as she walked away, "Luke, it's not like you to apologize so sincerely," and Luke's sarcastic, "Oh shut up, will you?"

She wondered what sort of person she would have been, if she'd lost an entire childhood's worth of memories, if she'd have been as spoiled and angry and sarcastic. And she resolved to get through this trip without snapping his neck.

They did a bit of shopping: Anise bought a new set of gloves, Tear replaced her worn wand for a newer, more improved staff. Luke had a helmet he traded in for a new pair of boots, and even Jade participated by purchasing a better cloak. "When a discount is offered, I tend to take it," he said in reply to her quirked eyebrow. They were in desperate need of more gels, she learned, due to being attacked so frequently by the God Generals. She made a deal with a merchant she knew well for a bulk order at a steep discount for yellow and orange gels, with a few magic lens and other assorted items bound to come in handy in the field at some point.

"Wow, your title really carries some weight," Guy commented as she completed the transaction with arrangements for it to be taken immediately to the ferry for them.

She laughed, "Oh, it's part that for sure. I also traveled with many of these merchants on their trade routes when I was a teenager, learning about the trade business and how to defend the caravans. My bond to some of them is personal, in that way. But some of them have the misguided notion that befriending me wins them favor with Astor, as though he weren't such a shrewd businessman to look past emotions."

They did some more trading, Luke and Tear seeing a coach driver they knew and having a conversation that, while she didn't overhear it, left Tear in a questionable mood that no one else seemed to take note of. She showed them the bar at the Malkuth/Kimlascan border and introduced them to some of the more influential citizens within. Everywhere she went, the city opened before her, and people asked if she intended to leave with the group of strangers. "Yes," was her easy reply, "But I'm to return very soon, so don't get any ideas." And the city folk laughed and promised to keep their friends and relatives on her good side, wished her safe travels.

It was as they were heading for the ferry, intending to finally depart, that she got her first taste of what she was up against.

Luke was leading them, as the ferry had been commanded to wait for his permission to leave port, with Tear walking beside him, Anise and Ion in the midst of their group, she and Guy behind them, and Jade bringing up their rear lost deep in thought. She heard footsteps- hard, fast, but unused to crossing the sand, not as fast as he could have been- before she saw the blur of him headed directly for them and she reacted purely on instinct. She was on the building-side of the path, and with one hand she grabbed Ion by the back of his robes, pushed him closer to the wall as Anise reflexively stepped in front of him. With the other she drew her dagger and stepped forward as Guy dropped to the ground, in a dodge or because he'd been injured she wasn't sure, losing his grip on all of the fon disc analysis reports in the process. The blur passed them, landed in a crouch, turned to face them as she took up a defensive position in front of her downed teammate.

"Give me those notebooks," Sync growled. Fire saw that he'd managed to grab the fon disc itself and cursed herself for not having reacted sooner.

"Back off," she said curtly. Jade made his staff appear (a neat party trick, summoning a weapon like that, she thought) and Sync was distracted enough that Fire could step back to Guy's side and haul him up by one arm while he gathered the notebooks with the other. "You okay?"

He looked at her, shell shocked, and she noticed a rip in his sleeve and a line of blood dripping from his shoulder. A flesh wound, easily healed, and she said a quick thanks to Yulia. "Um, yeah," he muttered.

"We don't have time for this, we need to go!" Jade yelled, still between Sync and the rest of them.

Anise was the first to take off, Ion keeping pace at her side. Tear turned and sprinted with them, followed by her and Guy, followed by Luke and then Jade with Sync in hot pursuit.

"Get to the ship!" Luke yelled, and dropped behind to take rear guard. "They won't leave until I'm on board, so I'll go last. Anise! Tell them to get the engines running now!"  
  
"Alright!" Anise yelled back as they pounded through the Kimlascan-side market. She increased speed and passed Ion, headed down the port steps and to the ships. Fire could hear her shrill voice yelling, "Get this ship moving! We're being chased!!" She heard the propellers start and she skidded to a stop by the docking ramp as she, Tear, and Guy made it onto the ship. Jade rushed past her and the ramp began to lift as Luke, carrying Mieu, ran down the port stairs.

"Go! I've got him!" Fire yelled to towards the bridge, and the ship began to leave port. Luke got to the end of the dock and jumped, catching the edge of the ramp and Fire contemplated throwing him off for all of a split second before grabbing his shirt collar and hauling him aboard instead. They collapsed in a heap on the deck and leaned against the cool metal of the ramp.

"Thanks," Luke panted, "I totally had it, but thanks. You could have stabbed me instead and been even with my father."

She was panting too, running in the desert climate of Chesedonia not being advisable, "No worries. I told you I wouldn’t hold your heritage against you. No one's ever held mine against me." 

She stood then, thankful for her desert clothes and especially the skirt that kept her cool in this humid heat, and helped Luke to his feet. The rest of the group was standing by the door leading below deck, and Anise beckoned them over. "Come on!" she yelled, "There's air conditioning!"

That was pretty much all the encouragement she needed.

By the time she and Luke joined the others below deck, Guy had already started reading the fon disc analysis. "Damn! I lost some papers in Sync's attack," he fretted, face turning red with frustration.

"Let me see those," Jade ordered. Guy complied, then went to stand against the wall afterwards, one leg lifted and pressed against it and arms crossed.

"Don't beat yourself up over it," Fire said, "He's a God-General and he ambushed you. It's not like you could have done anything." Guy just looked away and sighed.

Jade, meanwhile, was rattling off numbers. "This is Lorelei's frequency," he finished, surprised.

"Lorelei?" Luke asked. The rest of the group gave him a break down on fonon science while she shrugged off her pack and sat down to rustle through it. She found a white head band that matched her tank top and began to tie her hair up into a pony tail, securing her bangs back with the head band. Next she removed her scarf, folding it neatly and stowing it into her bag, which she then tucked under the table. She raised her arms above her head and stretched her whole body out, feeling the tight muscles of her arms strain as she reached for the ceiling. If the God-Generals wanted the analysis badly enough to attack civilians in a crowded marketplace, they were probably coming after the boat as well, she reasoned. In her peripheral vision, she saw Guy watching her intently, watched him check his sword as she shook out her limbs and checked her own. Noticed him reach across his body with his right hand for the sword on his left hip. Hmmmm.

Then he snapped to attention as the conversation turned to Fomicry research. "Couldn't you create an exact match through fomicry?" he asked.

Jade shook his head, "No. Although visually a replica is identical to it's original, the fonon frequencies are totally different. You can't create isofones that way."

The ship shook.

"Whoa!" Anise yelled as she tumbled from her perch on a top bunk bed, landing in a crouch on the floor next to Ion. Fire took a moment to appreciate what a dedicated guardian she was, how her body naturally put itself between Ion and the world even when she was surprised, then turned to the door and unsheathed her weapons.

"Oh no!" Tear cried, "They're here!"

"They must be trying to stop Ion and the letter from reaching Baticul." Jade said sharply as he stood, his staff appearing with a flash of green light.

Guy looked around nervously and drew his own weapon, "You don't think they're trying to sink us outright?"

"No. If that were the case, they wouldn't bother trying to board us."

As if on cue, two Order soldiers burst into the room. Guy and Fire, being closest to the door, made short work of them. Guy engaged his opponent in sword-to-sword combat. Fire stepped close to the soldier, raised her sword to parry an attack, and pushed him back. He stumbled backwards, the ship still a rollicking ride, and tried to rush her. Quarters were tight and she feinted left, dodged right at the last second, and thrust with her dagger into the space between the soldier's helmet and chest armor. He slumped to the floor as blood seeped out. With a spin, she turned and plunged her sword into the back of the man Guy was fighting, flicked her wrist to get his body off her blade, and walked out the open door without preamble. "We should take the bridge before they do," she said over her shoulder, already halfway down the hallway. A soldier opened the door of the room next to theirs as she passed, tried to jump out and surprise her, but she dropped into a crouch, swept a leg under his feet when he landed and was on him like a cat as soon as he fell. He brought his blade up in defense and she again parried with her own sword, pressed down to pin him, stabbed him in the throat with her dagger while he was preoccupied with keeping her weight off himself. He went limp as the group approached.

"You fight like crazy!" Anise chirped. "I've never seen someone fight with two weapons like that before!"

"It's not common," Fire conceded as she wiped the blood off her dagger onto the fallen soldier's uniform, "But it's what works for me."

"Who taught you?" Tear inquired, her staff gripped tightly in one hand as they continued down the hallway. Luke and Guy checked doors as room as they passed, looking for any more hiding foes.

"I taught myself, mostly. I had some instruction on Hod with a dagger from my father. He believed that everyone, girls especially, should know how to defend themselves. When I was adopted by Astor and he named me his heir, I had to learn combat training as befitting a noble person, but I didn't want to give up my dagger. It's all I have left of my biological father, after all. So I used both. The sword instructors on father's staff had never dealt with dual weaponry before, so they trained me in one and two handed sword play, and in shield-use, and I drilled myself in how to take the various styles and incorporate my dagger."

"Impressive conviction in such a young child. You must have been, what, ten years old during the invasion of Hod?" Jade mused.

"Eleven," she corrected, "But you can't start too early."

"If that isn't the truth.." Guy muttered.

They reached the bridge relatively unimpeded, to the point that Fire half-expected to find it already captured. The captain was scared witless but alone at the wheel.  
"We're under attack!" he shrieked, "I have to stay here, please check the deck!"

"Use the intercom system if you need us here," Jade ordered, and they were off again.

Their next encounter threw her for a loop. Just outside the door to the deck, they found a sailor arguing with a robot over a fonstone fragment. Fire growled low in the back of her throat and gave chase to the little twerp. As she dashed across the deck, the boat was hit from the side, by a wave or some other force she couldn't say for sure, and she went sprawling to her knees, stunned.  Before she could even attempt to stand, a monster dropped from the sky, some hideous type of bird she hadn't seen around Chesedonia before.

"Look out!" Guy yelled behind her, and he leapt over her head to slash viciously at the giant bird, which squawked in pain. He didn't pack much punch, she noted, but he got in four quick jabs and slashes at the beast before she could get her sword unsheathed. When she got to her feet, both hands were on her sword and where she lacked Guy's speed she made up in viciousness. The bird couldn't keep an eye on both of them at once and was trying to fly out of their reach when it was hit by an Arte that glowed red with flames. The bird dropped to the ground with a hideous, burning stench, and Guy finished it off with a quick stab to the skull.

"Are you alright, Fire?" Tear asked, lowering her stave.

"Yeah. I got a little a head of myself," she answered sheepishly, "Nice flame arte! And thanks, Guy, for coming to my rescue." She patted him on the back once then turned back to the task at hand to find that Anise and Luke, in the confusion of their fighting, were confronting the robot while Jade looked on with wry amusement. She was flabbergast when the robot not only gave up the fonstone fragment, but then threw itself into the sea to evade capture, screaming, "You'll never catch me!" as it went.

"Umm, is it supposed to get wet like that?" Anise asked, standing on tiptoe to peer over the railing.

"Probably not," Jade chuckled, "But unfortunately, I think I know who's behind all this."  
  
"You do?" Anise asked, turning her attention back to him. They walked back over to the sailor and Luke returned the fragment, getting a new c-core out of the deal.

"Yes, I think so. I can only hope I'm wrong. If I'm not, we'll find him on the deck, he'd prefer a wide-open space for our confrontation." Jade said, and Fire couldn't tell if he was anxious or excited. The man really vexed her.

The deck, however, was empty.

"Man!" Luke complained, flopping down to the ground, "Where is this guy? I'm sick of all this fighting, I just want to go home!"

Guy sat beside him without comment, looking contemplative. She felt a hot rush of embarrassment that he'd had to save her from the bird monster. He was probably wondering if he'd have to keep a closer eye on her.

"Ahahahahaha! So, you've come to face me after all, have you Jade?"

Fire had seen a lot in her own time, but she had to admit that she'd never seen a flying chair before.

"It is I! Dist the-"

"Dist the Runny?" Jade quipped sardonically.

"No!!" the man fumed, and turned bright red, "Dist the ROSE!"

"You mean Dist the Reaper," Anise drawled with distaste.

"I refuse to accept that name! It's rose! R-O-S-E, Dist the ROSE!"

"Looks more like Dist the Really Bad Taste in Clothes," Tear threw in.

"You'll pay for that!" he screamed and banged his fist against the arms of his chairs, "My ultra gorgeous artes will made you beg for me to accept your apology!"

"You know, that might be the stupidest thing you've said yet," Fire laughed and took her offensive stance.

What Dist did next was a little unreal. Metal sprouted from his chair and enveloped him so that he became the captain of a mechanical monster. It was vaguely troll-shaped, being bi-pedal and bulky, but it's arms had drills instead of hands and Dist sat in his chair at the center of what would have been a forehead. The whole ship tilted with its weight as he touched down onto the deck, and Fire was thankful that there was room now for more than just one or two fighters. Clearly, this would be a team effort.

She glanced to be sure that Ion was safe- he was, he'd taken off at a run back to the bridge and watched them from the over head window- and Anise's plushie had grown enough for her to ride on its back, apparently it was her weapon when she wasn't using artes. Jade had his spear in hand and Tear had her stave and both were already casting as she, Luke, Anise, and Guy rushed the giant machine from all sides. Luke was the first to be injured. He tried to parry the machines' drill as though it were a person with a sword, and although he avoided being slashed open it threw him back several feet. Tear yelled "First aide!" and he flashed with a green light that got him back on his feet quicker than Fire expected. She had taken the monster's left side and was slashing away at anything that look slashable, rending great rips into the metal of it and then into cables and wires. Dist noticed her work and turned the monster to face her, prompting her to swiftly jump back. Jade cast a water-based arte that splashed over the top of the robot, setting off sparks where she'd exposed wiring. Anise was making good headway on her side, too, and Luke and Guy were keeping Dist plenty busy just fending them off.

When she stepped forward again, she could feel the energy of Jade's fonons concentrated in the area his arte had originated from, and she channeled them into her sword, creating her own water-based swipe at the robot's internal mechanisms. Dist screeched from his chair and swung the entire machine around, both drills extending towards her. She leapt backwards again, but she'd enraged the Reaper enough that he ignored the taunts and onslaught of her comrades in favor of chasing her around the deck.

She heard Luke at one point lose his temper, yelling, "Stop moving you bastard!" and then the screech of metal on metal. When she looked back, she found that Dist was no longer in pursuit. Luke had cut one of the machine's legs deeply enough that it dragged more than walked now, and she turned to face it again with her sword.

Dist settled the machine in one position and began flailing the drills wildly, trying to keep them all at bay. Anise went flying much the way Luke had, but with a softer landing on her giant plushie. Guy narrowly avoided having his head knocked off, ducking just in the knick of time. She realized all at once that they had been fighting this thing as though it were a monster that would tire out, but she could see the strain on her teammates' faces and noted with alarm that while Dist sat safely in his captain's chair, they were the ones that were wearing thin. Tear and Jade could only cast so many artes before depleting their strength, and their little band of melee fighters could only keep going for so long. Something drastic needed to be done.

Fire had stepped back to contemplate these thoughts and studied the machine, drills still flailing back and forth, independent of each other but only traveling parallel to the ground. She made up her mind in an instant and went in to swipe at the joints holding the left drills on, the right being almost totally preoccupied with keeping Luke and Guy at bay. She managed to sever it from rest of the machine, and the steaming hunk of metal hit the deck with a clamor. She didn't have time to notice Dist's enraged scream, or to dodge as the entire torso turned to her and the right drill pounded down, changing its pattern of movement for the first time, and hitting her squarely. She couldn't help but scream with pain as she found herself flat on the deck again, this time stunned to stars. Guy made a noise that was caught somewhere between a roar and a curse, the word "bastard" just barely legible, and the sound of sword on metal renewed with greater frequency. Jade performed his water arte for what must have been the tenth time, and Dist howled again. She could faintly see smoke pouring out of the hole where the drill had been attached, and the machine swiveled to face her again, finding an easy target. Across the deck, Tear yelled, "First aide!" and a green light flashed around Fire's body. She felt energy flowing through her, and her fingertips buzzed with electricity, but it was still a long moment before she could get a deep breath in- she hoped she hadn't broken a rib, she hoped she'd be able to roll or somehow get out of the way before Dist pounded her to death- and then Guy was standing over her with Luke at his back. They stood with weapons drawn, but it was unnecessary. That last water arte into the great space she'd opened when she'd severed the drill had done the trick, and the steam pouring out took on a smokey quality. In his cockpit Dist was fuming and thrashing, screaming though they couldn't hear the words. He slammed his hand on his control console and ejected himself, flying overboard and into the water much the way the robot had earlier. Guy sheathed his sword, picked her up and carried her halfway across the deck, laid her down, gently, asked, "Are you okay? Is anything broken?"

She tried not to giggle, "Only my pride. Don’t worry about me, Tear's already cast a first aide, I'm just waiting for my energy to come back. You should help the others."

"No need," he said smoothly, and moved out of her line of sight so she could see that the others were leaning overboard, speculating on whether or not Dist had survived, "Here, you should eat this lemon gel. We don't know for sure that the fighting's over."

She took his gel with a sigh and slurped it down while he watched her with a thoughtful expression, then begrudgingly admitted, "I do feel better now. Can you help me up?"

He stood and extended a hand to her with such a tense and serious face that she almost didn't take it. As he helped her to her feet, he glanced down at their hands once, and muttered, "What the hell…?" under his breath.

Well, damn. She knew she must have looked like a wildcat, her hair covered in sweat and the robot's oil and probably some blood, but that was unnecessary. She dropped his hand and threw her shoulders back, jutted her chin, tried to remember that she was a noblewoman and would take respect whether or not it was offered, "I'll get the hang of your group's fighting style," she said without a trace of a smile, all business now, "I've never fought with so many melee units at one time. Usually it's just me and maybe one other sword user and a slew of fonists. It won't take me long to adjust."

Did he look concerned at her sudden change in demeanor? Or was she just seeing what she wanted to see? He put his hands on his hips and widened his stance, a position he was apparently comfortable in, "Well, if you need any help, just let Tear or Jade know," he said in that same smooth, even tone, "They're military, so if there's anyone to drill you into a new formation, it's them."

The group caught up to them at that point and Tear gave her an appraising look. "That was pretty brave of you, although maybe not very wise. You could have been killed," she admonished, and Fire had the distinct impression that Tear had been a healer for a while, but not for a group she had become so close too. 

"I underestimated it," she said with an apologetic shrug and a sheepish grin, "Next time we fight that freak and one of his robots, I'll keep in mind their range of motion."

Tear looked like she had more to say, but Fire had run out of patience, and turned on her heel to go find a hot shower and a room to hide in while she prepared to face the King.

 

**Guy**

She had touched him. She had touched him, now three times, and he hadn't freaked out, hadn't felt the overwhelming fear or an urge to run. She had touched him and he had touched her and it had been as if he were a regular person with a regular life and she didn't even know how utterly bizarre that it was.

When he'd seen Dist's robot swing it's remaining drill up, he'd had the moment of panic that came from fighting a foe you thought you'd figured out only to have it blindside you with a new tactic. When it swung down and he heard Fire scream, realized she'd been under it, his heart had stopped. The sudden surge of rage was similar to how he'd feel if Luke had been the one injured, but she'd already touched him twice and he'd spent the majority of the day watching her and trying to figure out how she'd done it, and he was terrified that she'd died before he could puzzle it out. He'd started roaring obscenities and set his sword to a flurry of activity. A moment later, Luke saw her laying there and yelled sharply at him, "Go!" and he went without hesitation even as the machine swung around to finish her off. Luke was at his back as he assessed her injuries, relieved beyond words that she was breathing and conscious. First the hagraven, now a giant robot. This girl needed to keep her feet under her before she gave him a heart attack.

She'd joked with him as he carried her across the deck, insisted he go back to the team as he listened to Dist careen overboard, but he was sure to get a lemon gel into her before sparing a thought: he'd touched women in cases of emergency before, but could he touch her on purpose, with no threat looming? 

She gave him the opportunity as though she could read his mind: "Can you help me up?"

He straightened and gave it some very brief but very serious consideration, then extended his hand to her. She hesitated a moment- out of pain? Or did his face show more than he intended?- before taking it. She weighed next to nothing as he helped her stand, muttering to himself, "What the hell…?"

And realized a moment too late that she'd heard him as she stiffened and her entire posture changed to one of defensiveness.

She said something about her fighting style and he replied with a fair amount of distraction, frantically trying to think of something to say to cover up his stupidity, but then she was turning and heading back below deck. He made a comment to Tear and Anise to keep an eye on Luke for him, intending to pursue her, and then Anise was teasing him, touching him and proving that his gynophobia had not dissipated. He was overwhelmed by the fear after being so worn out by battle, and all he could do was flee to the bowels of the ship and try to figure out what the hell was wrong with himself.

 

**Fire**

When the knock came at her door, she expected it to be the captain announcing their approach. Instead, she found Tear in the hallway looking apprehensive. "Tear," she said, "Is something wrong? Are we under attack again?" She dreaded the answer, but it was unnecessary.

Tear, full of surprises, gave a hesitant, "Uh, no, I was just… Well, can I come in?"

She paused for a split second, then conceded, "Yeah, of course. Come on in and feel free to sit if you want. I'm just getting dressed for the court."

It was a full day's journey by ferry to Baticul and they were quickly approaching the end of it. Fire's sleep last night had been restless in her small cabin, and she'd woken for breakfast with the group only to find that the sight of Guy and the memory of his comment about her appearance still smarted, and she'd hurried back to her room. However, it was all worth it for her morning shower. In Chesedonia, water was scarce enough that a daily shower was unheard of, and she'd been accustomed to the gentle exfoliation of a sand-bath instead. To stand under the water of the shower for as long as she wanted as the water ran dark with the filth of battle had been a dream, and she felt like a new person.

Tear looked as though she'd taken advantage of their amenities as well, wearing a freshly laundered and ironed set of her military dress, and her long hair was still damp and heavy from her own shower. She carried her stave with her casually at her side, and Fire supposed she'd been right in thinking that Tear was in dire need of some age-appropriate and female friendship as they both sat at the cabin's folding table.

"I was just polishing my blades," Fire said, pulling both her dagger and sword and their polishing cloth closer to her, "But I've got some oil for my sandals as well, if you'd like to work on your stave."

Tear thanked her and retrieved the oil from where Fire motioned, producing her own cloth from a pocket somewhere. "Your blades are beautiful," she said as both women leaned over their work, "Are they ancestral to Astor's family?"

Fire's blades were steel with a single, giant sapphire inlaid into the pommel of her sword and smaller jewels surrounding it. Her dagger had a smaller, matching version of the jewels set in it's smaller handle- a set of extravagant weapons, no less deadly for being so, "No, but he did gift them to me," Fire explained, "When Astor adopted me, he considered it announcement enough that I was to be his lawful heir as well. But I was a teenager still, probably 18years of age, when some of the city elders asked Astor whether or not he intended for me to have his inheritance. It frustrated Father that being his daughter didn't seem to be enough to convince people of my station, so he consulted my sword trainers and had these made for me. He only gifted them to me this past year, when I came of age and my heirship was officially documented."

Tear's stave was coming to a serious shine, the wood actually glowing a bit under his ministrations. "That's very thoughtful of him. I haven't known many fathers to be so considerate."

Fire, having started well before Tear arrived, set her weapons and polishers aside and stood, making for the privacy curtain to change, "He did the best he could, you know? You met him, he's an easy man to love, but a businessman first and foremost. I don't think he ever had time for love or wives or children of his own. Oh, could you hand me my sash? I left it on the table."

Tear's hand, and her orange sash, peeked over the top of the privacy curtain a moment later. "I could see that," she said in agreement, "He seemed very accommodating, but sort of… removed, as well. A very busy man, I'm sure."

Fire agreed as she step from behind the curtain, now in an ocean-blue halter dress that hit her just above the knee in front, but rippled down to her ankles in the back. Over it, she wore her typical orange sash so she could secure her weapons, and a crisp, white military-styled jacket. "Busy is the word that first comes to mind when I think of my father. But he's also compassionate and kind. He's a good father to me, however unprepared for parenthood he was."

Tear looked her up and down as Fire gave a little twirl and a questioning look, then nodded approvingly, "I think you'll fit right in at the court," she said with a smile.

"Well if I've got you smiling, I must look okay," Fire teased, and started to adjust her sash for her weapons' sheathes, "What's the capital like? I've been to Grand Chokmah a handful of times, but never to Baticul."

Tear gave a derisive snort, "It's not called the machine city for nothing. All metal and fontech. I prefer the citadel, myself."

Fire sighed and looked out the window, eyeing the landmass they were approaching, "Well, hopefully, His Majesty King Ingobert won't have me arrested and killed on sight," she said, only half serious.

Tear took the comment very thoughtfully as she stood from the table as well with a stave that was truly glowing now, and they made for the door together. "I haven't met the King," she said as they made for the door and then started towards the rear-deck together, "But I've heard he's a very just man. I think you'll be surprised by him. And if it comes to a fight," Tear said as they reached the door that would take them to the group and to the unloading dock, "We will handle it together as a group. You won't be alone."

It was touching and disconcerting, how strong her ties of loyalty were to these people already. Fire flushed with gratitude and bowed her head with thanks. Tear opened the door and the second part of her journey started.

**Author's Note:**

> scream at me on tumblr if you want.  
> this has been sitting on my laptop for over 2 years, so I'm editing as I go. feel free to let me know if you catch anything funky!  
> <3


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